How to Organize Video Files (THE FAST AND EASY WAY)

When I started creating videos for fun, how to organize video files was the furthest thing from my mind. But after watching a handful of youtube videos on the best way to organize video files and footage for editing (to see if I was doing it right!), I discovered that there are a lot of over-complicated ways to organize video files... convoluted naming conventions, project folder structures... bleh. #YouTubeforBloggers

So I kinda think my way is the fast and easy way to organize video files and footage. This is what works for me, and maybe it will work for you too.

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Hey there! My name is Meredith Marsh and welcome to the VidProMom YouTube channel! This is where I teach bloggers and content creators how to make money online through social media marketing, digital marketing, influencer marketing, and passive income. Subscribe to learn video editing for social media, video marketing, blogging, and online business.

I am dedicated to helping you figure out how to create and edit videos for fun, adventure, or business!

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[alwaysyouramanda]

I love this whole channel idea-! I don’t have any videos of me as a kid- and hardly any photos! You GO, MOM!! Your kids are going to be SO grateful. I could cry. ❤️🔥 you’re a mom doing the MOST!! Love you!!

[tgaitan]

A source of fresh air in this highly confusing world.... your suggestions make sense... lost of it and simple to follow.. i have about 40 years of photos and movies and was an incredible big task to even think how to tackle it.... thanks

[kymber.r]

Thank you for making this so simple!!! The first video I came across on this very topic was SO complicated!! Your system is just simple and easy. Thanks for making this video.

[jessgarnerlewis]

I’ve watched so many videos on how to organize footage and this was by far the most helpful thank you!!

[rebeccagrider]

I JUST NEEDED AN OUTLINE FOUND Only because you asked.... I'm an OCD, fanatic, eccentric, crazy, lunatic, organizer... in fact, I will delay work for the "Nobel Sake" of organizing. I call it creative avoidance. I'm a list maker to the hilt. If I can organize clutter, then it's not technically cluttered....right? Thank you for your down-to-earth logical organizing of items that are getting away from me. Tangible items are much more simple than computer files... although I'm a bit OCD with computer files too....just ask my employees. They love my system, but not necessarily my insistence on them. Somehow video organizing was not feeling logical. My photos are organized the way you suggest...dugh! why not my videos? I can not tell you why. Thanks again this was just what I needed!!!! I teach Microsoft window explorer and explain it as a file cabinet with green hanging files, containing file folders, containing pieces or bundles of pages, containing smaller bits of information. file as many layers deep as you need to feel organized about the information and to be able to find the information quickly, however, watch out for the temptation to file more layers than are truly needed. I suppose the same is true here. I was trying to overcomplicate the process. Proof that we all need a friend in the business. Thanks, new friend! KISS - Keep It Simply Keep it Simple - Silly!

[jackivlogs]

Great video ! How often do you transfer to the external drive ? I am so unorganized that it causes me to go on hiatus from YouTube cause i dread all the files I have in my computer and final pro. Like I need to clean it up and organize it to be more productive. Any other tips? Like when I’m done with the video and upload it, so I transfer to the external and then delete it of my computer ?

[smartsayed]

Welcome . Wonderful and very excellent work. I am a gentleman from Egypt and I need some help with a video scheduling program for display on a group of devices. Thanks, Regards

[mhansen]

As I have gotten more and more into GoPro and drone video (and don't forget all my still work) I have been struggling with this very thing. I think I have been slowly evolving to something and it just happens to be the very system you use. It makes perfect sense! Thanks for shortcutting it for me :)

[SandraSallin]

Does this count? i put all my IGTV videos in a folder on my external HD. I name them as to subject and just let them rest there. Am I wrong to include the out takes? Should I delete them? Only keep the stars? HD>IGTV>Lipstick

[johnnyceeuontheroad.]

Thanks for yr info, im very unorganized and sloppy at video files..it makes my videos longer to make, im trying to find a system that works for me. Thanks..

[jbrenes]

Great video! I've used a similar system for all my personal things....i call it the CRONOS folder....inside Every decade a spam of 2009-2000, 1999-19xx, then by year....then by [ event or month ]....max 4 folders deep....the good thing is that I can archive dacedes or group of years...put them on cold storage. Again Great video it has giving me some new ideas on what to refine.

[JorgeSilvestrini]

Hey, so I've done lots of videos for YouTube on my channel. Truly, I haven't kept any of the original footage, pictures, etc. My thought process has always been: once I'm finished editing and it is published, it's done on my end. Maybe I need to revisit that process (system) and go a different route. PS: just got me a GoPro Hero6 Black. Playing with all the video modes, etc. Might be a game changer for me along with the iPhone 6s Plus.

[NextLevelLawnCare]

was just hoping there was a way to group all my split files from my GoPro instead of having to search a folder for GX00100, then somewhere else in the folder is GX00200 and so on. and when you have a full sd card of split videos it's quite time consuming to find all the sequences for each video shot as they are all over the place.

[NatureGloseScience]

Yaaay, humor always goes a long way. Love the bloopers, Meredith. Currently, since I've started taking my YouTube Channel OOBER seriously, I've been organizing according to YouTube video title. I'll probably need to adopt your method though, especially as my list of videos grows pumping out one high quality video per week. Love this. Thank you!

[Mew]

This is exactly how I organize my videos and photos. organized by year-month-day. I tend to name my month folders X-2018, that way if I'm looking for a specific month I can search say, March, and then it'll come up with March 2017, March 2018 and so on, so I can just click on the right folder. I also used to separate my photos from videos, but it ended up just being too much work, so I just mash both together.

[Willidee]

I do organize exactly like you! I really like the idea of keeping both photos and videos in the same folder! I'm going to start doing that.

[BrewCityRider]

I organize my files in a similar way, except I don't use month folders. I have year folders with my videos sorted by date within each year folder. I keep all related clips and photos in the same folder that I call GoPro Raw Video until I complete my video. This raw footage is kept on my C-drive, which is a SSD drive. When my video is complete I store it in my year video folder on my HDD D-drive, and any photos I want to keep I move to a separate photo folder within the proper year folder. Everything is then backed up onto an external HDD hard drive. I would like to replace my external drive with one of the new Solid State Drives, but they are so damn expensive.

[scottpiggott]

I find that if I go thru all the video clips and label them when I first load them onto my PC, I can be better organized when it comes time to edit.  Is there a better way?  I just retired and just want to put together better videos of family trips and outings.  No lofty intentions to set up a YouTube page. BTW, I truly love your tutorials.  Short and easy to understand.  I don't feel your talking over my head.  THANKS!  Scott P.

[TobalFordge]

Thank you! Great tips on storage organization. By trial and error I've gotten to basically the same year - month - activity folder structure, also recently been moving all videos and pics into the same folders, for the same reason. Just starting to deal with content - thanks for those tips! Keep the tutorials coming!

[JuanCamacho]

Love it when my subscriber feed has a new VidProMom video :-) Curious, what do you do with all your iPhone pics and video content. Mine just live on my phone and in iCloud. I used to organize more when I used point and shoot cameras with sd cards, but since the days of smart phones I don't transfer much. I just keep buying the bigger storage iphone every time I upgrade lol.